Author's Note: This is an established relationship fic. The chapters will flow for now, but later they might not (I might add Chapters that come earlier, things like that). I will let you know where those particular chapters go. For now, they go in order.

I have been working on this story for over a year. This pairing just wouldn't leave me alone. The story is not finished, but the chapters can all theoretically stand alone so long as you know that House and Tony are together. There will be no cliffhangers.

Most of the chapters are episode tags, but a few are not. I will let you know which chapters are. This one is not. Some are quite a bit longer than others as well.

Tony looked at him, "I promise I'll get a doctor to check me out." He climbed gingerly out of the bed. His shoulder hurt like hell. But what really was causing all the problems was the three inch gash in his thigh. He limped to the door, "Thanks, doc." He pulled out his cell phone, calling a cab. His first thought was merely to take the cab to NCIS to get his car so he could get home.

But he didn't want to go home. Tony waited, leaning against the wall outside, and came to a startling realization. He knew where he wanted to go. His taxi arrived, and even though he had absolutely nothing with him, even though he knew it would cost him a lot of money, and even though he couldn't be sure of his welcome, he found himself giving the cabbie Greg's address.

The man turned to look at him after putting the address in his GPS, "That's gonna cost upwards of $500, man," he warned, shock on his face.

Tony leaned back in the seat, "I know. Take me to a bank first and I'll show you I've got the money. Is that cool with you? I can call another cab." He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Nah, man, it's cool." The cabbie turned back around. He glanced at Tony in the mirror, "You sure you're ready to leave? You don't look so good, man."

Tony nodded, "I'll be fine." They stopped by a bank, where Tony withdrew $700 from his savings. That should be enough for the ride and a nice tip. He climbed back in, showing the man the money. On some level, he knew that he was in no shape to defend himself if the guy decided to take the money and leave him on the side of the road, but something was trusting about the guy. "Hey, you mind if I close my eyes for a while?"

The cabbie looked at him in the mirror, "Nah, man, go ahead. I'll wake you when we get there."

Tony nodded, making himself as comfortable as possible before closing his eyes.

They pulled up outside the apartment building, and the cabbie turned back, gently tapping the young man in the back seat on the knee. "Hey, man."

Tony's eyes shot open, "Yah." He looked around, seeing the familiar apartment building out the window. He sat up, "Thanks, man. How much?"

The cabbie pointed at the meter, "Ride comes to just under $400," he stated.

Tony nodded, giving the man $600. "Here. I really appreciate this."

"This is too much, man," the cabbie returned as Tony climbed out of the car.

Tony looked at him through the driver's side window, "You just drove me three hours. It's not too much." He could see the wedding ring on the man's hand, "Christmas is next month. Get your wife something pretty. Or your kids, if you've got'em."

The cabbie grinned at him, "Thanks, man."

Tony nodded, and headed up the stairs to the apartment. He knew he should have been more nervous; after all, he'd never shown up unannounced, in the middle of the week, or at 3 in the morning. But he wasn't nervous. And that scared him a little, but he didn't think about it too much as he knocked softly on the door.

House's eyes opened slowly, it was registering slowly that someone was knocking on his door. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table and cursed. Who could possibly be knocking on his door at three in the morning? Even Wilson wasn't that brave. He climbed out of bed, grabbing his cane, walking to the door. "You'd better have a damn good reason for knocking..." he cursed as he opened the door. He stopped at the sight of the man at his door, "Tony?"

Tony tried to smile, but couldn't. Everything hurt too much for that, "Hey, Greg," he whispered, looking up at House.

House gasped, seeing the stitches that ran from Tony's temple to the middle of his cheek. "What happened to you?" he asked as he ushered Tony into the apartment.

Tony limped over to the couch, "Sorry to just show up, Greg. I just..."

House followed him, frowning at his limp, "It's okay, Tony," he assured. "You drove here? Like this?"

Tony shook his head, leaning back, "Took a cab," he muttered.

House sat on the coffee table across from him, "From DC?" he sputtered. "God, that must have cost a fortune."

Tony shrugged, "Wanted to see you," he admitted, unsure how that particular admission would go over.

House looked startled for mere moments before smiling softly, "I'm glad you came," he whispered. He looked at Tony's legs, trying to determine why the younger man was limping. He gasped when he noticed blood on Tony's jeans by his thigh. "Take off your jeans," he demanded, standing. He walked to be bathroom and returned moments later with a first aid kit.

Tony watched House go in confusion, but realization dawned when the older man returned with a first aid kit. He looked down at his thigh, cursing as he noticed the blood. He stood gingerly, slipping off his jeans, "Damn it, these were my favorite jeans."

House smiled, "I'll get you new jeans," he promised as he helped Tony step out of his jeans and sit back on the couch. He gingerly lifted the bandage, looking at the wound. "Well, it looks like the stitches have held, which is good, since otherwise I'd have to take you to the hospital." He quickly changed the dressing on Tony's thigh, before looking at the other man, "Anything else need to be checked," he whispered.

House took a deep breath; this was the first time he'd seen the dangers of Tony's job up close. "Okay, can I take off your shirt and look? I know you've had doctors looking at you for at least a day, but humor me. I'll feel better when I see that they've done it correctly." He looked at the floor.

Tony frowned, "Greg? You okay?" He sat up all the way, grasping House's hand. "Hey, I'm okay. This looks bad now, but I'll be fine." He sighed, "I shouldn't have come," he muttered, leaning back.

House's eyes shot to Tony and he squeezed the hand still in his, "No. You did the right thing. I'm glad you came." He placed an affectionate kiss on Tony's forehead, a first in their relationship, but House found he liked it. He smiled, "Just let me look at the cuts and then we'll get you in bed."

Tony gave him a strange look, but nodded, allowing House to help him remove his shirt.

House methodically checked the numerous cuts on Tony's chest and back. Most were shallow, probably didn't hurt more than a paper cut, but there were a few that were deep enough to require stitches. None were bleeding, though, so House breathed a sigh of relief. He rested his forehead against Tony's once he was finished, "Does this happen often?" he whispered, terrified of the answer. He'd never seen Tony hurt before. And it told him how much the younger man had come to mean to him that he never wanted to see it again.

Tony could hear the concern in House's voice and tentatively took the other man's hands in his, "No, Greg. Not at all. This is the first time I've been seriously hurt since I started at NCIS."

House let relief wash over him, pulling Tony into his arms, "Thank God. I don't need to have a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," Tony whispered, "I didn't mean to worry you."

House nodded, "I didn't know you could," he admitted. He stood, pulling Tony up with him, "Come on, let's hit the sack." He led Tony to his room and pushed the younger man onto the bed. He dug in his drawers, pulling out sweats and a t-shirt, tossing them at Tony. "It gets pretty cold in here at night," he informed him, throwing him some socks.

Tony pulled on the clothes, trying not to jolt his leg. He really didn't want to get blood all over House's clothes. He pulled the socks on, already half asleep. "Thanks, Greg," he murmured, laying back.

House smiled softly, pulling the blankets over Tony. He walked to the bathroom, returning with a glass of water. He walked back into the bedroom and climbed into bed, "Tony," he whispered, "take this."

Tony sat back up slowly, accepting the water, "Greg?" he questioned.

House opened his vicodin bottle, "Have you taken Vicodin before?" he asked softly.

Tony shook his head, trying to hand the glass back, "I'm fine, Greg."

"You're in pain," House returned. "Please. If nothing else, it will help you sleep. Have you taken it before?"

Tony nodded grudgingly. "A couple of times," he finally admitted.

House nodded, "Then it won't make you as nauseous." He held out the pill.

Tony stared at House for a long time, "I hate taking pain pills," he whispered.

House nodded, "I believe that. But you're in pain. It won't kill you."

Tony sighed in defeat, "Okay. Okay." He took the pill, washing it down with the water. He grimaced at its chalky taste. "I don't see how you swallow these things dry," he stated.

House chuckled, "Lay down, Tony," he whispered.

Tony complied, "Thank you, Greg," he whispered, "For everything."

House didn't reply, merely turned off the lights and climbed into bed. Given the fact that they now both had bad legs, they were both laying on their backs. House reached and tentatively touched Tony's hand, surprised and pleased when Tony clutched his in return. He smiled, then frowned. This was way out of hand. He glanced over at Tony, seeing that the younger man had fallen asleep, still clutching House's hand.

House stared at him for a while, trying to decipher when and how this had become so serious. When had Tony become that important to him?

House opened his eyes to the ringing of his phone. He glanced at his clock, surprised to find it was after 10. He never slept this late. He was beyond late for work, even for him. He snatched the phone, struggling out of bed as not to wake Tony. "What?" he barked.

He took one last look at Tony, who stirred, but didn't wake fully. He was frowning in his sleep, one arm groping the now empty side of the bed. House felt a wave of affection wash over him before he turned and walked into the living room.

"House, where are you?" Cuddy was demanding in his ear.

House sighed, "I'm not going to be able to make it today, Cuddy," he whispered, rubbing his eyes. There was no way he was leaving Tony today.

Cuddy sighed, "Everything alright?"

"Just something personal," he answered vaguely. "I gotta go." He hung up the phone before she could respond.

He walked back to the bedroom to find Tony still passed out. Deciding he could use another couple of hours of sleep himself, he climbed back into the bed.

A phone ringing woke House again, and this time Tony woke as well. "It's mine," Tony muttered, slowly climbing out of bed. He knew who was on the phone. Gibbs knew he was gone from the hospital. Better to get the yelling over with before Gibbs used the GPS in the phone to track him here.

House got up as well, looking at the clock. It was past noon. He followed Tony into the living room. "Pizza for lunch?"

Tony nodded, digging in his discarded jeans for his phone. It had stopped ringing, but he knew that in no way would that stop Gibbs. Better to call him back. He walked to House, who was on the phone. Without thought, he gave him a chaste kiss. "Thanks," he whispered.

House was shocked, but not shocked enough to not respond. He wrapped an arm around Tony's waist, "Large cheese. Large pepperoni," he barked to the guy on the phone before leaning down to Tony's ear, "I'm just glad you came," he admitted, kissing Tony's neck.

Tony smiled softly, "Just let me call Gibbs back. Otherwise he'll show up." House raised his eyebrows. Tony nodded, "Really." He gave House one last kiss before backing out of the older man's arms and hitting a speed dial on his phone. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the lashing he was about to receive.

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone as he walked into NCIS. He saw the call was from Tony and opened it, "Where the hell are you?" he demanded.

Tony couldn't help the small smile that graced his face. He'd worked for Gibbs long enough to know the man wasn't just angry, but worried also. "Hey, boss, I just wanted to let you know I was okay."

Gibbs could tell Tony knew he'd evaded the actual question, but he decided to let that slide, "You checked yourself out of the hospital AMA. For the record, DiNozzo, you are never to do that again. Got it?"

"Got it, boss," Tony automatically replied. "I'll be back on Monday," he assured.

"You need medical care," Gibbs informed him. "When they want to keep you in the hospital, there's usually a reason."

"I promise to see a doctor." He grinned, catching the smile on House's face, "How's Kate?"

"She was smart," Gibbs seethed, "She stayed in the hospital. She'll be fine. You had the massive injuries. What the hell were you thinking?"

"You know I hate hospitals, boss," Tony muttered.

"I don't give a damn that you hate hospitals. You better be glad I haven't told Kate, Abby, or Ducky about this. You haven't heard yelling. Get your ass home." Gibbs was in the squadroom by now, pacing in front of his desk. He was happy to see no one was around.

"No," Tony returned, forcefully. "I'll be back on Monday." There was a long pause. "I'll be fine, boss," he assured. "I promise to have a doctor check me over."

"Where are you?" Gibbs asked, much softer.

"I'm with a friend," Tony admitted. "Don't worry, boss," he smiled, looking at House, "I'm in good hands."

Gibbs sighed in defeat, "You'll be back Monday?"

"I'll be back Monday," Tony assured. "Tell Kate I hope she feels better."

"If you have complications, I will beat you, understood?" Gibbs' voice was deadly serious.

Tony couldn't help but chuckle, "I'll be fine. See you Monday, boss."

"Bye DiNozzo," Gibbs replied, hanging up the phone.

Tony hung up the phone, "Gibbs is diffused," he stated, grinning.

House couldn't help but smile, "Why was he so mad?"

Tony shrugged, looking away. "I disappeared."

House narrowed his eyes, "You disappeared from where?" he asked.

Tony sighed, putting his phone on the table, and sitting carefully on the couch. His thigh was starting to bother him. "Bethesda," he admitted.

House regarded him carefully, "You checked yourself out of Bethesda?"

Tony nodded, "I really don't like hospitals."

"Did you know you were coming here when you checked yourself out," House demanded.

Tony gave him a strange look, shaking his head, "No. I just wanted to go home. It was spur of the moment while I was waiting for the cab."

House turned to face him, "Would you have had a doctor check you out if you hadn't of come here," he whispered. "You could have numerous complications. Please don't tell me you were just going to go home."

House stood, "What if something had happened?" he questioned, his voice dangerously low.

Tony sighed, "Please don't get mad. Gibbs would have come over in the morning anyway. It's not like I would have been alone. He'd still be pissed."

House leaned down to Tony, "You don't check yourself out of the hospital," he demanded. "Do you hear me? Doctors check you out when they feel it's okay for you to leave." His gaze was locked on Tony's.

To say Tony was shocked would be an understatement. He was beyond belief awed and astounded. He nodded dumbly, "Got it," he muttered, well aware of how much more serious he was now then when he'd been talking to Gibbs.

House nodded, "Good." He headed for the kitchen, "Lunch will be here soon."

Tony could see he was still angry and followed him into the kitchen. He took a deep breath, steeling his nerve and wrapping his arms around House's waist from behind, "I'm sorry," he whispered, kissing the back of House's neck.

House sighed, grasping Tony's hands, "You should be," he admitted. "But I forgive you." He turned around in Tony's arms and saw the fact that Tony was favoring his hurt thigh. "Go sit down before you fall down. I'm getting you more pain pills."

They were watching a movie when knocking sounded at the door. House sighed; he knew who was on the other side of the door. "Wilson's here," he told Tony, standing.

Tony tried to sit up, panic on his face, but House halted him, "Lie back down. You need rest. Don't worry. It'll be okay," he whispered, squeezing Tony's shoulder.

Tony complied, still nervous as House went to open the door. He was pretty sure Wilson didn't know about him. He was also well aware that Wilson was House's best friend and knew how much the other doctor's opinion would matter to House.

House opened the door, "Hey, Wilson," he greeted, "What's up?"

Wilson looked closely at him, "You didn't come to work," he stated. "You haven't missed work in almost five years. You don't look sick."

House let Wilson inside the apartment, "That's because I'm not," he returned. He saw Wilson standing next to the couch staring in shock at Tony. He walked to them, seeing Tony smiling sheepishly, again moving to sit up. "Lie back down," House demanded, "before you pull your stitches."

Tony compromised, leaning against the arm of the couch. "Hi," he whispered to Wilson.

"Wilson, this is Tony. Tony, Wilson." House disappeared into the kitchen, returning with two beers and a soda. He handed the soda to Tony, knowing the younger man's aversion to alcohol, and a beer to Wilson. "Tony had a bad day yesterday and decided to come visit."

Wilson was eyeing the stitches on Tony's face as he sat down in the chair and nodded, "I can see that," he admitted. He made no comment as House sat back on the couch, pulling Tony's feet into his lap. "What do you do, Tony?" he asked.

Tony smiled at him, "I'm an NCIS agent. In DC."

Wilson's brow furrowed, "What's NCIS?"

House chuckled, "I asked the same thing. Naval Criminal Investigative Services. Tony and I are dating," he stated bluntly, knowing that's what Wilson most wanted to know.

Tony glared at him, but figured if Wilson didn't know that's how House was, he wouldn't be House's best friend. "He is right. Basically, I'm a navy cop. We investigate crimes involving the NAVY and the marines."

Wilson nodded, "How long have you two been...dating?" He was unsure as to how to accept this.

"Thirteen months," House replied easily, taking a sip of his beer. He glanced at Tony to find the younger man wore an expression of surprise. He raised his eyebrows, "What?"

Tony shook his head, "Nothing. Just shocked you remembered," he admitted.

House chuckled, "I'd never forget," he assured.

"And you never told me?" Wilson asked in disbelief.

Tony sighed, "You're actually the first to know at all," he informed Wilson.

Wilson looked at him, "I am?"

House nodded, "It's not something we've been advertising really." He looked at Tony, "But it's time for that to change." He was shocked at how easily the words flowed from his mouth, even as fear gripped his heart. What was he getting himself into?

"So it's serious then," Wilson asked, smiling. He already knew the answer, but wanted to see if House would admit it.

House and Tony shared a long look and Wilson breathed in sharply. They'd never discussed this, he could tell. He hadn't meant to bring up something they'd yet to discuss.